Repozytorium publikacji - Politechnika Gdańska

Ustawienia strony

english
Repozytorium publikacji
Politechniki Gdańskiej

Pokaż publikacje z roku

Ostatnie pozycje

  • Benzophosphol-3-yl Triflates as Precursors of 1,3-Diarylbenzophosphole Oxides
    • Agnieszka Brzyska
    • Sebastian Majewski
    • Łukasz Ponikiewski
    • Monika Zubik-duda
    • Agnieszka Lipke
    • Agnieszka Gładysz-płaska
    • Sylwia Sowa
    2023 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

    Asimplemethodforthesynthesisof3-arylbenzophospholeoxidesunderSuzuki−Miyauracouplingconditionshasbeenpresented.Itemploysbenzophosphol-3-yltriflatestartingmaterialswhich,priortoourwork,hadnotbeenusedforthesynthesisof3-arylbenzophospholeoxides.Thereactionsproceedover24handprovidealibraryof3-arylbenzophospholeoxides.Thesyntheticaccesstothebenzophosphol-3-yltriflateshasbeenimproved.Thepreliminaryphotophysicalpropertiesofsome3-arylbenzophospholeoxideshavebeeninvestigatedbyabsorptionandemissionmeasurements.Thetheoreticalcalculationswereperformedtoestablishstructure−propertyrelationships.

  • Between therapy effect and false-positive result in animal experimentation
    • Paweł Sosnowski
    • Piotr Sass
    • Anna Stanisławska-Sachadyn
    • Michał Krzemiński
    • Paweł Sachadyn
    2023 Pełny tekst BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY

    Despite the animal models’ complexity, researchers tend to reduce the number of animals in experiments for expenses and ethical concerns. This tendency makes the risk of false-positive results, as statistical significance, the primary criterion to validate findings, often fails if testing small samples. This study aims to highlight such risks using an example from experimental regenerative therapy and propose a machine-learning solution to validate treatment effects. The example analysed was the pharmacological treatment of ear pinna punch wound healing in mice. Wound closure data analysed included eight groups treated with an epigenetic inhibitor, zebularine, and eight control groups receiving vehicle alone, of six mice each. We confirmed the zebularine healing effect for all 64 pairwise comparisons between treatment and control groups but also determined minor yet statistically significant differences between control groups in five of 28 possible comparisons. The occurrences of significant differences between the control groups, regardless of standardised experimental conditions, indicate a risk of statistically significant effects in the case a compound lacking the desired biological activity is tested. Since the criterion of statistical significance itself can be confusing, we demonstrate a machine-learning algorithm trained on datasets representing treatment and control experiments as a helpful tool for validating treatment outcomes. We tested two machine-learning approaches, Naïve Bayes and Support Vector Machine classifiers. In contrast to the Mann-Whitney U-test, indicating enhanced healing effects for some control groups receiving saline alone, both machine-learning algorithms faultlessly assigned all animal groups receiving saline to the controls.

  • Beyond Antioxidant Activity: Redox Properties of Catechins May Affect Changes in the DNA Methylation Profile—The Example of SRXN1 Gene
    • Patrycja Jakubek
    • Rajic Jovana
    • Monika Baranowska
    • Klaudia Suliborska
    • Mateusz Heldt
    • Karol Dziedziul
    • Melita Vidaković
    • Jacek Namieśnik
    • Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska
    2023 Pełny tekst Antioxidants

    The role of catechins in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression has been widely studied; however, if and how this phenomenon relates to the redox properties of these polyphenols remains unknown. Our earlier study demonstrated that exposure of the human colon adenocarcinoma HT29 cell line to these antioxidants affects the expression of redox-related genes. In particular, treatment with (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) downregulated transcription of gene encoding sulfiredoxin-1 (SRXN1), the peroxidase involved in the protection of cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the observed SRXN1 downregulation was accompanied by changes in the DNA methylation level of its promoter and, if so, whether it was correlated with the redox properties of catechins. The impact on DNA methylation profile in HT29 cells treated with different concentrations of five catechins, varying in chemical structures and standard reduction potentials as well as susceptibility to oxidation, was monitored by a methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting technique employing the SRXN1 promoter region as a model target. We demonstrated that catechins, indeed, are able to modulate DNA methylation of the SRXN1 gene in a redox-related manner. The nonlinear method in the statistical analysis made it possible to fish out two parameters (charge transfer in oxidation process Qox and time of electron transfer t), whose strong interactions correlated with observed modulation of DNA methylation by catechins. Based on these findings, we present a proof-of-concept that DNA methylation, which limits SRXN1 expression and thus restricts the multidirectional antioxidant action of SRXN1, may represent a mechanism protecting cells against reductive stress caused by particularly fast-reacting reductants such as EGC and (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) in our study.

  • BEZPIECZEŃSTWO PRACY SYSTEMU ELEKTROENERGETYCZNEGO - WSTĘP
    • Paweł Bućko
    2023

    Wstęp omawia pięć kolejnych rozdziałów, o różnym poziomie szczegółowości, odnoszących się głównie do problemów bezpieczeństwa pracy i poprawy niezawodności pracy systemów elektroenergetycznych. Odniesiono się do aktualnych problemów w systemach energetycznych oraz podkreślono aspekt praktyczny rozważanych zagadnień.

  • Bi-based halide perovskites: Stability and opportunities in the photocatalytic approach for hydrogen evolution
    • Magdalena Miodyńska
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    • Wojciech Lisowski
    • Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
    2023 Pełny tekst CATALYSIS COMMUNICATIONS

    In this study, we successfully prepared Bi-based single perovskites of the A3Bi2I9 type (A = Cs, Rb, MA, FA), and, for the first time, attempted to experimentally obtain double perovskites Cs2B’BiI6 type (B′ = Ag, Au, In, Cu). Despite the premises available in theoretical studies, our research has proven the impossibility of the existence of double perovskites of this type. Nevertheless, both types of obtained materials were subjected to detailed analysis of their physicochemical features and photocatalytic abilities in the hydrogen evolution reaction. This study proved the stability of the Cs3Bi2I9 in HI electrolyte compared to the methanolic solution, with this phenomenon resulting in almost 36 times higher photoactivity.

  • Bibliometric analysis and literature review of ultrasound-assisted degradation of organic pollutants
    • Luyao Wang
    • Dan Luo
    • Oualid Hamdaoui
    • Yasser Vasseghian
    • Malwina Momotko
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • George Z. Kyzas
    • Chongqing Wang
    2023 SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    Ultrasound as a clean, efficient, and cheap technique gains special attention in wastewater treatment. Ultrasound alone or coupled with hybrid processes have been widely studied for the treatment of pollutants in wastewater. Thus, it is essential to conduct a review about the research development and trends on this emerging technique. This work presents a bibliometric analysis of the topic associated with multiple tools such as Bibliometrix package, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer. The literature sources from 2000 to 2021 were collected from Web of Science database, and the data of 1781 documents were selected for bibliometric analysis in respect to publication trends, subject categories, journals, authors, institutions, as well as countries. Detailed analysis of keywords in respect to co-occurrence network, keyword clusters, and citation bursts was conducted to reveal the research hotspot and future directions. The development of the topic can be divided into three stages, and the rapid development begins from 2014. The leading subject category is Chemistry Multidisciplinary, followed by Environmental Sciences, Engineering Chemical, Engineering Environmental, Chemistry Physical, and Acoustics, and there exists difference in the publications of different categories. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry is the most productive journal (14.75 %). China is the leading country (30.26 %), followed by Iran (15.67 %) and India (12.35 %). The top 3 authors are Parag Gogate, Oualid Hamdaoui, and Masoud Salavati-Niasari. There exists close cooperation between countries and researchers. Analysis of highly cited papers and keywords gives a better understanding of the topic. Ultrasound can be employed to assist various processes such as Fenton-like process, electrochemical process, and photocatalysis for degradation of emerging organic pollutants for wastewater treatment. Research topics in this field evolve from typical studies on ultrasonic assisted degradation to latest studies on hybrid processes including photocatalysis for pollutants degradation. Additionally, ultrasound-assisted synthesis of nanocomposite photocatalysts receives increasing attention. The potential research directions include sonochemistry in pollutant removal, hydrodynamic cavitation, ultrasound-assisted Fenton or persulfate processes, electrochemical oxidation, and photocatalytic process.

  • Bilansowanie lokalne w systemie elektroenergetycznym
    • Paweł Bućko
    2023 Rynek Energii

    Wprowadzenie rozliczeń rynkowych w handlu energią elektryczną wymusiło nowe podejście do krótkookresowego bilansowania energii w systemie elektroenergetycznym. Dla sprawnego funkcjonowania handlu energią, konieczne było wprowadzenie Rynku Bilansującego, łączącego realizację zadań technicznych i handlowych. Obecnie bilansowanie systemu rozwiązywane jest ogólnosystemowo. Decentralizacja procesu wytwarzania energii, rozwój niespokojnych źródeł odnawialnych, zwiększona rola prosumentów i stopniowa zmiana funkcji systemowej tzw. sieci dystrybucyjnych, powodują konieczność nowego podejścia do bilansowania systemu. Idą za tym nie tylko wyzwania techniczne, ale także organizacyjne i handlowe.

  • Billiard in a rotating half-plane
    • Sergey Kryzhevich
    • Alexander Plakhov
    2023 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF DYNAMICAL AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

    The main objective of this research is to study the properties of a billiard system in an unbounded domain with moving boundary. We consider a system consisting of an infinite rod (a straight line) and a ball (a massless point) on the plane. The rod rotates uniformly around one of its points and experiences elastic collisions with the ball. We define a mathematical model for the dynamics of such a system and write down asymptotic formulae for its motions. In particular, we determine existence and uniqueness of solutions. We find all possible grazing impacts of the ball. Besides, we demonstrate that for almost every initial condition, the ball goes to infinity exponentially fast, with the time intervals between neighboring collisions tending to zero. The approach developed in this paper is an original combination of methods of Billiards and Vibro-Impact Dynamics. It could be a base for studying more complicated systems of similar types.

  • Bimetallic Bi/Cu0-catalyzed persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes towards clofibric acid degradation in wastewater
    • Jibran Iqbal
    • Noor S. Shah
    • Javed Ali
    • Mohamed A. Habila
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Asam Shad
    • Yousef Nazzal
    • Ahmed A. Al-Taani
    • Fares Howari
    2023 Pełny tekst Water Resources and Industry

    Clofibric acid (CFA), an important blood-lipid regulatory drug is an emerging organic pollutant and widely reported in water resources. A novel bimetallic, bismuth/zero valent cupper (Bi/Cu0) catalyst was prepared which showed better physiological, structural, and catalytic properties than Cu0. The Bi/Cu0 effectively catalyzed persulfate (S2O82−) and caused 85% degradation of CFA. The Bi coupling improved reusability and stability of Cu0. The use of alcoholic and anionic radical scavengers and analyzing change in [S2O82−]0 proved that Bi/Cu0/S2O82− yield hydroxyl radicals (●OH) and sulfate radicals (SO4●–). The ●OH and SO4●– showed faster reaction with CFA, i.e., 4.65 109 and 3.82 109 M−1 s−1 and degraded CFA into four degradation products. Under optimal conditions of [Bi/Cu0]0 = 1.0 g/L and [S2O82−]0 = 40 mg/L, 99.5% degradation of the 10 mg/L of CFA was achieved at 65 min. Temperature showed promising effects on the removal of CFA by Bi/Cu0/S2O82− and caused 98% removal at 323 K than 75% at 298 K at 32 min. The temperature effects were used to calculate activation energy, enthalpy, and rate constant of CFA degradation. The Bi/Cu0/S2O82− showed effective removal of CFA in real water samples also. The ecotoxicity study confirmed non-toxic product formation which suggests high capability of the proposed technology in the treatment of CFA.

  • Bimodal Emotion Recognition Based on Vocal and Facial Features
    • Mateusz Woźniak
    • Michał Sakowicz
    • Kacper Ledwosiński
    • Jakub Rzepkowski
    • Paweł Czapla
    • Szymon Zaporowski
    2023 Pełny tekst

    Emotion recognition is a crucial aspect of human communication, with applications in fields such as psychology, education, and healthcare. Identifying emotions accurately is challenging, as people use a variety of signals to express and perceive emotions. In this study, we address the problem of multimodal emotion recognition using both audio and video signals, to develop a robust and reliable system that can recognize emotions even when one modality is absent. To achieve this goal, we propose a novel architecture based on well-designed feature extractors for each modality and use model-level fusion based on a TFusion block to combine the information from both sources. To be more efficient in real-world scenarios, we trained our model on a compound dataset consisting of RAVDESS, RML, and eNTERFACE'05. It is then evaluated and compared to the state-of-the-art models. We find that our approach performs close to the modern solutions and can recognize emotions accurately when one of the modalities is missing. Additionally, we have developed a real-time emotion recognition application as a part of this work.

  • Bioactive Ingredients with Health-Promoting Properties of Strawberry Fruit (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne)
    • Joanna Newereli-Guz
    • Maria Śmiechowska
    • Alicja Drzewiecka
    • Robert Tylingo
    2023 Pełny tekst MOLECULES

    Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) belong to the berry group and are characterized primarily by delightful sensory properties. Due to their chemical composition, these fruits are a rich source of bioactive compounds that can modify the metabolic and physiological functions of the body. The aim of this work is to present the current state of research on bioactive ingredients found in these fruits in the context of their health-promoting properties. The paper presents compiled and reviewed data on the content of polyphenolic compounds, organic acids, and vitamins, especially vitamin C, in strawberries. The content of these compounds is influenced by many different factors that are discussed in the paper. It also draws attention to the presence of oxalates and allergenic compounds, which are classified as anti-nutritional compounds of strawberries.

  • Biochemical assays of intensified methane content in biogas from low-temperature processing of waste activated sludge
    • Archana Kasinath
    • Hubert Byliński
    • Wojciech Artichowicz
    • Anna Remiszewska-Skwarek
    • Małgorzata Szopińska
    • Ewa Zaborowska
    • Aneta Łuczkiewicz
    • Sylwia Fudala-Książek
    2023 ENERGY

    Anaerobic digestion (AD) is implemented as an important ‘waste to energy’ approach for converting organic-rich byproducts such as sewage sludge into biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. Sewage sludge consists of primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS), and low biodegradability of WAS limits methane production. This study presents the influence of the low-temperature pretreatment (LT-PT) of WAS on the efficiency of AD. Different conditions of LT-PT process were tested in terms of temperature (45 °C/50 °C/55 °C/60 °C) and exposure time (24h/48h). LT-PT caused the increase of biomethane potential, which was even 43% higher if compared with the untreated WAS; 90% of all methane production was reached between 6 and 12 day of the LT-PT process. The highest improvements were observed in samples pretreated at 55 °C and 60 °C for 48 h (198.8 ± 5.5 NmL CH4/g VS and 194.3 ± 4.2 NmL CH4/g VS, respectively). Changes in the microbial community during LT-PT of WAS showed an oxygen-driven decrease among the predominant phyla except for Firmicutes. Taxonomic diversity and numerous rare taxa with the potential for functional compensation were observed. It was also proved that AD of pretreated WAS, combined with the heat recovery, achieved a positive net energy balance (improved by over 40%) and better energy performance, than AD without LT-PT.

  • Biocompatibility and potential functionality of lanthanum-substituted cobalt ferrite spinels
    • Paweł Pęczkowski
    • Elżbieta Szostak
    • Ewa Pocheć
    • Jan Michalik
    • Jarosław Piętosa
    • Tarek Tahraoui
    • Maciej Łuszczek
    • Łukasz Gondek
    2023 JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS

    Bulk and nanostructurized lanthanum-cobalt spinels have attracted a lot of interest from researchers, due to their unique physical and chemical properties as well as functionalities, which are interesting for biomedical and electronic industries. In this manuscript we show that introducing small lanthanum (La3+) content can tune magnetic, electronic and cytotoxic properties of the CoFe2− xLaxO4 system (x ≤ 0.1). The mechanisms of the tuning are comprehensively studied by theoretical electronic structure calculations; spectroscopic methods (FTIR, Mo¨ssbauer, XAS); structural and microstructural research; magnetometry; and cytotoxic viabilities of normal and cancer cells. It was found that the mechanism originate mainly from the complex exchange interaction of the 3d states of cations with 2p states of oxygen caused by mixing of the metals over the tetragonal and octahedral positions. For synthesized CoFe2− xLaxO4 nanoparticles (NPs) in vitro studies of toxicity on the tested cell lines (human Hs27 fibroblasts, A375 melanoma, Nthy-ori 3-1 thyrocytes, and FTC-133 thyroid cancer cells) revealed that CoFe2− xLaxO4 NPs have high impact on cancer cells, while their toxicity towards normal cells is significantly lower. Along to soft magnetic properties this is a key factor for functionalization.

  • Biological processes modelling for MBR systems: A review of the state-of-the-art focusing on SMP and EPS
    • Giorgio Mannina
    • Bing-Jie Ni
    • Jacek Mąkinia
    • Jerome Hermand
    • Marion Alliet
    • Christoph Brepols
    • María Victoria Ruano
    • Angel Robles
    • Marc Heran
    • Hazal Gulhan
    • Ignasi Rodriguez-Roda
    • Joaquim Comas
    2023 WATER RESEARCH

    A mathematical correlation between biomass kinetic and membrane fouling can improve the understanding and spread of Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology, especially in solving the membrane fouling issues. On this behalf, this paper, produced by the International Water Association (IWA) Task Group on Membrane modelling and control, reviews the current state-of-the-art regarding the modelling of kinetic processes of biomass, focusing on modelling production and utilization of soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The key findings of this work show that the new conceptual approaches focus on the role of different bacterial groups in the formation and degradation of SMP/EPS. Even though several studies have been published regarding SMP modelling, there still needs to be more information due to the highly complicated SMP nature to facilitate the accurate modelling of membrane fouling. The EPS group has seldom been addressed in the literature, probably due to the knowledge deficiency concerning the triggers for production and degradation pathways in MBR systems, which require further efforts. Finally, the successful model applications showed that proper estimation of SMP and EPS by modelling approaches could optimise membrane fouling, which can influence the MBR energy consumption, operating costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Biological properties of chitosan/Eudragit E 100 and chitosan/poly(4-vinylpyridine) coatings electrophoretically deposited on AgNPs-decorated titanium substrate
    • Łukasz Pawłowski
    • Muhammad Asim Akhtar
    • Andrzej Zieliński
    • Aldo R. Boccaccini
    2023 MATERIALS LETTERS

    The objective of the study was the determination of the response, in contact with human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells, of electrophoretically deposited coatings composed of chitosan (CS), Eudragit E 100 (EE100), or poly(4- vinylpyridine) (P4VP) on a silver nanoparticle (AgNPs)-decorated titanium substrate. Before deposition, the substrate was coated with silver by electro-reduction of silver nitrate. The coatings deposition was carried out in suspensions containing 0.1 % (w/w) of one of the biopolymers, EE100 or P4VP, with 0.1 % (w/w) of CS for 10 V and 1 min. Biopolymer coatings were successfully deposited while maintaining high uniformity. The deposited silver did not cause cytotoxicity. The biological study revealed that when compared to CS/P4VP, CS/EE100 coating performed better and showed a decrease in MG-63 cell viability only after three days of testing.

  • Biomasa jako źródło energii odnawialnej
    • Katarzyna Januszewicz
    2023

    Historia wykorzystania biomasy jako źródła energii jest znana od początku istnienia ludzkości i nieodzownie towarzyszy człowiekowi. Spalanie znane jest jako pierwsza metoda konwersji biomasy drzewnej w celu produkcji energii cieplnej, która stanowiła podstawę bytu. Obecnie, po latach eksploatacji, głównym celem gospodarki biomasą jest redukcja odpadów pochodzenia organicznego, zwłaszcza tych, które będą składowane, ale również pozyskiwania z nich energii. Z uwagi na to, że strumienie generowanych odpadów w różnych przemysłach (na przykład leśnym, rolnym) utrzymują się na stałym poziomie, mogą w sposób ciągły zasilać instalacje, które generują energię cieplną lub/i elektryczną. Instalacje i procesy konwersji powinny w przyszłości stanowić kluczowy element systemu zarządzania odpadami, jak również główny wkład do energetyki poszczególnych miast Polski i UE.

  • Biomechanical causes for failure of the Physiomesh/Securestrap system
    • Mateusz Zamkowski
    • Agnieszka Tomaszewska
    • Izabela Lubowiecka
    • Maciej Śmietański
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    This study investigates the mechanical behavior of the Physiomesh/Securestrap system, a hernia repair system used for IPOM procedures associated with high failure rates. The study involved conducting mechanical experiments and numerical simulations to investigate the mechanical behavior of the Physiomesh/Securestrap system under pressure load. Uniaxial tension tests were conducted to determine the elasticity modulus of the Physiomesh in various directions and the strength of the mesh-tissue-staple junction. Ex-vivo experiments on porcine abdominal wall models were performed to observe the system’s behavior under simulated intra-abdominal pressure load. Numerical simulations using finite element analysis were employed to support the experimental findings. The results reveal nonlinearity, anisotropy, and non-homogeneity in the mechanical properties of the Physiomesh, with stress concentration observed in the polydioxanone (PDO) stripe. The mesh-tissue junction exhibited inadequate fixation strength, leading to staple pull-out or breakage. The ex-vivo models demonstrated failure under higher pressure loads. Numerical simulations supported these findings, revealing the reaction forces exceeding the experimentally determined strength of the mesh-tissue-staple junction. The implications of this study extend beyond the specific case of the Physiomesh/Securestrap system, providing insights into the mechanics of implant-tissue systems. By considering biomechanical factors, researchers and clinicians can make informed decisions to develop improved implants that mimic the mechanics of a healthy abdominal wall. This knowledge can contribute to better surgical outcomes and reduce complications in abdominal hernia repair and to avoid similar failures in future.

  • Biomimetic torene shells
    • Maziyar Bazmara
    • Roger Sauer
    • Ashutosh Agrawal
    2023 Pełny tekst MATHEMATICS AND MECHANICS OF SOLIDS

    The genome inside the eukaryotic cells is guarded by a unique shell structure, called the nuclear envelope (NE), made of lipid membranes. This structure has an ultra torus topology with thousands of torus-shaped holes that imparts the structure a high flexural stiffness. Inspired from this biological design, here we present a novel ‘‘torene’’ architecture to design lightweight shell structures with ultra-stiffness for engineering applications. We perform finite element analyses on classic benchmark problems to investigate the mechanics of torene shells. This study reveals that the torene shells can achieve one order of magnitude or higher flexural stiffness than traditional shells with the same amount of material. This novel geometric strategy opens new avenues to exploit additive manufacturing to design lightweight shell structures for extreme mechanical environments.

  • Bio-mitigation of organic pollutants using horseradish peroxidase as a promising biocatalytic platform for environmental sustainability
    • Muhammad Bilal
    • Anil Kumar Singh
    • Hafiz M.N. Iqbal
    • Tak H. Kim
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Khawlah Athmaneh
    • Syed Salman Ashraf
    2023 ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

    A wide array of environmental pollutants is often generated and released into the ecosystem from industrial and human activities. Antibiotics, phenolic compounds, hydroquinone, industrial dyes, and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are prevalent pollutants in water matrices. To promote environmental sustainability and minimize the impact of these pollutants, it is essential to eliminate such contaminants. Although there are multiple methods for pollutants removal, many of them are inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been widely explored for its ability to oxidize the aforementioned pollutants, both alone and in combination with other peroxidases, and in an immobilized way. Numerous positive attributes make HRP an excellent biocatalyst in the biodegradation of diverse environmentally hazardous pollutants. In the present review, we underlined the major advancements in the HRP for environmental research. Numerous immobilization and combinational studies have been reviewed and summarized to comprehend the degradability, fate, and biotransformation of pollutants. In addition, a possible deployment of emerging computational methodologies for improved catalysis has been highlighted, along with future outlook and concluding remarks.

  • Bionic relations as features of the author’s original concept of biomorphic plastic forms that belong to a place
    • Agnieszka Kurkowska
    2023 Pełny tekst Architectus

    The article concerns the search for an architectural formula for living organically in the area of Pojezierze Kaszubskie [the Kashubian Lake Dis- trict]. The original project consisted in creating a series of biomorphic plastic forms that belong to the place. In this way, a set of alternative solutions was created in the form of small clay sculptures that account for bionic relationships between the newly created cultural elements (dedicated to the place) and natural elements (characteristic of the analyzed area). The project assumed a specific method of creative and research work. The method consisted in a repeated process of sketching (with the use of natural elements encountered in the lake district), followed by sculpting and placing the sculptures. It led to gathering a collection of documentary photographs that record the successive attempts to place cultural objects in a natural context. Thanks to the photos, further solutions can be put together and compared. A kind of catalog was created to prove a strong bionic affinity of forms, common to all the created sculptures. The sculptures in specific “layouts” are attuned to the existing place; they enter a “dialogue” with it. The catalog can be used as research material, but also as a tool to contemplate the relationship between objects and places “supplemented” by them.

  • Biopolymer-based composites for tissue engineering applications: A basis for future opportunities
    • Payam Zarrintaj
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Mohamadreza Youssefi Azarfam
    • Mohsen Khodadadi Yazdi
    • Amir Erfani
    • Mahmood Barani
    • Narendra Pal Singh Chauhan
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Tairong Kuang
    • Justyna Kucińska-Lipka
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Masoud Mozafari
    2023 Pełny tekst COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING

    Biomimetic scaffolds supporting tissue regeneration are complex materials with multifunctional characteristics. The unique biocompatibility and biodegradability of biopolymers make them excellent candidates for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Biopolymers, which have a wide range of properties, can be obtained from different natural sources. Depending on the target tissue, biopolymers can be engineered to meet a series of specific functions. We review different types of biopolymers and their composites, besides their interactions with specific cells and tissues. Specific cellular mechanisms in tissue regeneration are also considered to elucidate the effects of biopolymers on controlling cellular mechanisms given their advantages and challenging aspects. Furthermore, the modifications required to mimic the properties of neural, cardiac, bone, and skin tissues are discussed. Utilization of biopolymer-based composites in tissue engineering requires additional improvements, where several challenges should be overcome. This work is mainly focused on biopolymers used in tissue engineering, providing support for engineering of future biocomposites for the same purpose. Some examples of biocomposites are also provided, a general guide for selection of biopolymers and the secondary component (biopolymers as complements, additives, or nano-scale biomaterials) to develop biocomposites.

  • Bio‐polyols synthesized by liquefaction of cellulose: Influence of liquefaction solvent molecular weight
    • Adam Olszewski
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Łukasz Piszczyk
    2023 JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE

    Currently, the plastics industry including polyurethanes is based on the use of petrochemicals. For this reason, scientists are looking for new types of renewable resources for the substitution of petrochemical substances. This work aims to evaluate the effect of polyethylene glycols (PEG) with different molecular mass impact on properties of bio-based polyols synthesized via biomass liquefaction of cellulose. To date, research has mostly focused on the use of different biomass sources, but the area of bio-polyols synthesis with PEG with various molecular weights has not been explored in depth. For this reason, polyols were synthesized using PEG with a molecular weight in the range of 200–600 g/mol. Depending on the type of liquefaction solvent, the bio-polyols showed a hydroxyl value of 519–652 mgKOH/g, a viscosity of 0.736–1.415 Pa∙s, and a water content below 1%. Observed difference may be related to change of reactivity of the PEG chains caused by steric hindrance of longer chains and the difference in the amount of reactive OH groups. These findings add substantially to understanding of the influence of liquefaction solvent molecular mass on the properties of new bio-polyols and those of polyurethane materials.

  • Bioreactors and biophoton-driven biohydrogen production strategies
    • Sadia Anjum
    • Shakira Aslam
    • Nazim Hussain
    • Muhammad Bilal
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Wojciech Smułek
    • Teofil Jesionowski
    • Hafiz M.N. Iqbal
    2023 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY

    Given the current issues with global warming and rising greenhouse gas emissions, biohydrogen is a viable alternative fuel option. Technologies to produce biohydrogen include photo fermentation, dark fermentation, direct and indirect bio-photolysis, and two-stage fermentation. Biological hydrogen generation is a green and promising technique with mild reaction conditions and low energy consumption compared to thermochemical and electrochemical hydrogen generation. To optimize hydrogen gas output using this method, the activity of hydrogen-consuming bacteria should be restricted during the production stages of hydrogen and acetate to prevent or limit hydrogen consumption. Raw material costs, poor hydrogen evolution rates, and large-scale output are the main limitations in biological hydrogen generation systems. Organic wastes would be the most preferred target feedstock for hydrogen fermentation, aside from biodegradable wastes, due to their high amount and simultaneous waste treatment advantage. This study examined the three primary methods for converting waste into bio-hydrogen: microbial electrolysis cell, thermochemical gasification, and biological fermentation, from both a technological and environmental standpoint. The effectiveness and applicability of these bioprocesses in terms of aspects influencing processes and their constraints are discussed. Alternative options for improving process efficiency, like microbial electrolysis, bio-augmentation, and multiple process integration, are also considered for industrial-level applications. Biohydrogen generation might be further enhanced by optimization of operating conditions and adding vital nutrients and nanoparticles. Cost reduction and durability enhancement are the most significant hindrances to fuel-cell commercialization. This review summarizes the biohydrogen production pathways, the impact of used organic waste sources, and bacteria. The work also addresses the essential factors, benefits, and challenges.

  • Biorefinery Approach for H2 and Acids Production Based on Uncontrolled pH Fermentation of an Industrial Effluent
    • María Eugenia Lopez Ibanez
    • Encarnacion Domínguez Díaz
    • Miguel Suffo
    • Jacek Mąkinia
    • Jose Luis Garcia Morales
    • Francisco-Jesus Fernandez-Morales
    2023 Pełny tekst Fermentation

    In this work, the feasibility of uncontrolled pH acidogenic fermentation of industrial organic effluent from corn-bioethanol production was studied and modelled by using a Monod-based mathematical model. In order to do that, several tests were carried out at different initial pH values, ranging from 4 to 6. The experimental data showed a pH reduction during the fermentation process due to the generation of short-chain acids. When starting at initial pH of 5.0 and 6.0, the substrates were fully fermented reaching final pH s over 4 units in both cases and a final undissociated fatty acid concentration of about 80 (mmolL1) in both cases. Regarding fermentation at an initial pH of 4, the pH decreased to 3.5 units, and the organic substrates were not fully fermented due to the stoppage of the fermentation. The stoppage was caused by the very acidic pH conditions. The biomass showed an uncoupled growth as the operating conditions became more acidic, and, finally, the biomass growth was zero. Regarding the generation of fermentation products, in general terms, the highest economical value of products was obtained when fermenting at an initial pH of 5. More specifically, acetic acid was the acid that presented the highest yield at an initial pH value of 4. Butyric yield showed the highest values at initial pH values of 5 and 6. The highest H2 yield (1.1 mol H2mol1 dextrose) was achieved at an initial pH value of 5. Finally, the experimental data were modelled using a Monod-based model. From this model, the value of the main kinetics and stoichiometric parameters were determined.

  • Bisphenols and their derivatives in baby diaper samples.
    • Aneta Chabowska
    • Natalia Jatkowska
    • Paweł Kubica
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2023 Pełny tekst

    Many common products contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenols that are harmful to human health. For toddlers, this dangerousness is higher because of their not fully developed detoxification system. Due to this, bisphenols content in products such as baby diapers, should be monitored. Baby diapers not only remain in close contact with the skin, but are also used from the first hours of life. Baby diaper samples were prepared by ultrasound assisted solvent microextraction of porous membrane-packed solid sample (UASE-PMSS) and extracted analytes were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Obtained recoveries value ranged from 60% to 115%. Bisphenol A was determined in 81% of the tested samples with a concentration in the range of 5.0-520 ng/g, while bisphenol A bis(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) ether in 15% of the samples with a concentration ranged from 6.8 to 530 ng/g.

  • Bitumen Aging—Laboratory Simulation Methods Used in Practice and Selected Directions of Research on New Methods
    • Paweł Czajkowski
    • Andrzej Przyjazny
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2023 Pełny tekst Materials

    Changes in the properties of bitumen binders that occur as a result of aging have a huge impact on the durability of products produced from them. In particular, asphalt pavements, which constitute the most common use of petroleum bitumen, are susceptible to damage resulting from the increasing stiffness of the bitumen during its life cycle. Increased stiffness of asphalt pavements reduces the pavement resistance to low-temperature cracks and fatigue cracks, ultimately leading to the loss of their functional properties and the need for road repair. The rate of changes in bitumen properties is influenced by many factors, the most important of which are environmental conditions, technological parameters of binder processing, and physicochemical properties. The greatest impact on minimizing the adverse effect of aging is the use of bitumen suitably resistant to aging, and changing the technological parameters of its application. This article reviews the literature and standardized test methods of bitumen aging, with a focus on the methods that are most often used in practice, to evaluate the suitability of bitumen for use in road construction. The presented methods are limited to aging simulation. This mini-review presents the most important stages of aging procedures, their advantages and limitations, as identified by the authors of this publication for different types of bitumen. Moreover, the most important directions of developments in the field of new laboratory aging tests are highlighted. The suggestions are based on the industrial practice of the authors of this review, taking into account identified demands for quality control in the industry.

  • Bitumen-Based Poroelastic Pavements: Successful Improvements and Remaining Issues
    • Piotr Jaskuła
    • Jerzy Ejsmont
    • Władysław Gardziejczyk
    • Piotr Mioduszewski
    • Marcin Stienss
    • Marek Motylewicz
    • Cezary Szydłowski
    • Paweł Gierasimiuk
    • Dawid Ryś
    • Marta Wasilewska
    2023 Pełny tekst Materials

    This article presents the development process of designing and testing poroelastic pavement based on highly polymer-modified bitumen. Poroelastic wearing course was composed of mineral and rubber aggregate mixed with highly polymer-modified bitumen, in contrast to previous trials, during which polyurethane resins were mainly used as binder, which led to several serious technological problems concerning difficult production, insufficient bonding to the base layer, and unsatisfactory durability. The laboratory testing phase was aimed at finding the proper composition of the poroelastic mixture that would ensure required internal shear strength and proper bonding of the poroelastic layer with the base layer. After selecting several promising poroelastic mixture compositions, field test sections were constructed and tested in terms of noise reduction, rolling resistance and interlayer bonding. Despite the very good acoustic properties of the constructed poroelastic wearing course, it was not possible to solve the problem of its insufficient durability. Still, the second major issue of poroelastic pavements that concerns premature debonding of the poroelastic layer from the base layer was completely solved. Experience gained during the implementation of the described research will be the basis for further attempts to develop a successive poroelastic mixture in the future.

  • Blue applicability grade index (BAGI) and software: a new tool for the evaluation of method practicality
    • Natalia Manousi
    • Wojciech Wojnowski
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Victoria F. Samanidou
    2023 Pełny tekst GREEN CHEMISTRY

    In this work, blue applicability grade index (BAGI) is proposed as a new metric tool for evaluating the practicality of an analytical method. BAGI can be considered complementary to the well-established green metrics, and it is mainly focused on the practical aspects of White Analytical Chemistry. This tool evaluates ten main attributes including the type of analysis, the number of analytes that are simultaneously determined, the number of samples that can be analyzed per hour, the type of reagents and materials used in the analytical method, the required instrumentation, the number of samples that can be simultaneously treated, the requirement for preconcentration, the automation degree, the type of sample preparation, and the amount of sample. Through the evaluation of these attributes, an asteroid pictogram is generated, together with the respective score. To facilitate the use of the metric a simple, open-source application was created (mostwiedzy.pl/bagi). It is accompanied by a web application available at bagi-index.anvil.app. The functionality of the tool was demonstrated by evaluating the applicability of five different analytical methods as case studies. All things considered, BAGI can be easily used to identify the weak and strong points of a method in terms of practicality and applicability, as well as to compare the performance of different analytical methods. We believe that BAGI metric tool will gain not only attention but also trust and acceptance from the chemical community.

  • BODIPY‐Perylene Charge Transfer Compounds; Sensitizers for Triplet‐Triplet Annihilation Up‐conversion
    • Ruben Arturo Arellano-Reyes
    • Amrutha Prabhakaran
    • Rengel Cane Sia
    • Julien Guthmuller
    • Keshav Kumar Jha
    • Tingxiang Yang
    • Benjamin Dietzek‐Ivanšić
    • Vickie McKee
    • Tia E. Keyes
    2023 Pełny tekst CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL

    BODIPY heterochromophores, asymmetrically substituted with perylene and/or iodine at the 2 and 6 positions were prepared and investigated as sensitizers for triplet-triplet annihilation up conversion (TTA-UC). Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses show that the torsion angle between BODIPY and perylene units lie between 73.54 and 74.51, though they are not orthogonal. Both compounds show intense, charge transfer absorption and emission profiles, confirmed by resonance Raman spectroscopy and consistent with DFT calculations. The emission quantum yield was solvent dependent but the emission profile remained characteristic of CT transition across all solvents explored. Both BODIPY derivatives were found to be effective sensitizers of TTA-UC with perylene annihilator in dioxane and DMSO. Intense anti-Stokes emission was observed, and visible by eye from these solvents. Conversely, no TTA-UC was observed from the other solvents explored, including from non-polar solvents such as toluene and hexane that yielded brightest fluorescence from the BODIPY derivatives. In dioxane, the power density plots obtained were strongly consistent with TTA-UC and the power density threshold, the Ith value (the photon flux at which 50% of ΦTTAUC is achieved), for B2PI was observed to be 2.5x lower than of B2P under optimal conditions, an effect ascribed to the combined influence of spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) and heavy metal on the triplet state formation for B2PI.

  • Boron-doped carbon nanowalls for fast and direct detection of cytochrome C and ricin by matrix-free laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry
    • Ioana Hosu
    • Michał Sobaszek
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Yannick Coffinier
    2023 TALANTA.The International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry

    Detecting proteins via surface assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) method is still highly challenging, and only few examples of nanomaterials have been demonstrated to perform such detection so far. In this study, carbon nanowalls (CNWs), vertically aligned graphene sheet-based materials, presenting specific morphology, dimensions, and boron doping levels have shown improved performances for both qualitative and quantitative detection of Cytochrome C under optimized experimental conditions. Boron doped carbon nanowalls (B-CNWs) with a [B]/[C] ratio of 5000 ppm and growing time of 4 h have shown the best performance in terms of signal intensity and reliability. Then, the detection of ricin, a ribosomal-inhibiting protein (RIP) classified as category B bioterrorism agent by CDC (Centre of Disease and Control and Prevention), was performed. For the first time, direct SALDI-MS detection of ricin B chain was reported without tedious sample preparation steps or database interrogation, and results were obtained within few minutes and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 pmol/μl was obtained. Thanks to the introduction of galactosamine residues on B–CNW, we were able to selectively detect ricin B chain protein in complex media such as serum and soft drinks with enhanced signal intensity. B-CNWs are not toxic and are adaptable to any commercial MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer, showing their great potential as SALDI based materials.

  • Boron-doped diamond nanosheet volume-enriched screen-printed carbon electrodes: a platform for electroanalytical and impedimetric biosensor applications
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Mateusz Cieślik
    • Monika Janik
    • Mateusz Brodowski
    • Sawczak Mirosław
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Jacek Ryl
    2023 Pełny tekst MICROCHIMICA ACTA

    This paper focuses on the development of a novel electrode based on boron-doped diamond nanosheet full-volume-enriched screen-printed carbon electrodes (BDDPE) for use as an impedimetric biosensor. Impedimetric biosensors offer high sensitivity and selectivity for virus detection, but their use as point-of-care devices is limited by the complexity of nanomaterials’ architecture and the receptor immobilisation procedures. The study presents a two-step modification process involving the electroreduction of diazonium salt at the BDDPE and the immobilisation of antibodies using zero-length cross-linkers for a selective impedimetric biosensor of Haemophilus influenzae (Hi). The incorporation of diamond nanosheets into BDDPE leads to enhanced charge transfer and electrochemical behaviour, demonstrating greatly improved electrochemically active surface area compared with unmodified screen-printed electrodes (by 44% and 10% on average for [Ru(NH3)6]Cl2 and K3[Fe(CN)6], respectively). The presented sensing system shows high specificity towards protein D in Hi bacteria, as confirmed by negative controls against potential interference from other pathogens, with an estimated tolerance limit for interference under 12%. The Hi limit of detection by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was 1 CFU/mL (measured at − 0.13 V vs BDDPE pseudo-reference), which was achieved in under 10 min, including 5 min sample incubation in the presence of the analyte.

  • Bovine Serum Albumin – Hydroxyapatite Nanoflowers as Potential Local Drug Delivery System of Ciprofloxacin
    • Kornelia Bobrowska
    • Kamila Sadowska
    • Krzysztof Stolarczyk
    • Marta Prześniak-Welenc
    • Piotr Golec
    • Renata Bilewicz
    2023 Pełny tekst International Journal of Nanomedicine

    Introduction: Hybrid nanoflowers are structures consisting of organic (enzymes, proteins, nucleic acids) and inorganic components (mostly metal phosphates) with a flower-like hierarchical structure. Novel hybrid nanoflowers based on bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were obtained and characterized. Study on BSA-HA nanoflowers as potential drug delivery system is reported for the first time. Methods: Embedding ciprofloxacin in the structure of hybrid nanoflowers was confirmed by ATR-FTIR and thermogravimetric analysis. The inorganic phase of the nanoflowers was determined by X-ray diffraction. UV‒Vis spectroscopy was used to evaluate the release profiles of ciprofloxacin from nanoflowers in buffer solutions at pH 7.4 and 5. The agar disk diffusion method was used to study the antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoflowers against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results: Bovine serum albumin – hydroxyapatite nanoflowers were obtained with diameters of ca. 1–2 µm. The kinetics of ciprofloxacin release from nanoflowers were described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoflowers was demonstrated against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, two main pathogens found in osteomyelitis. Conclusion: The formulated nanoflowers may act as an efficient local antibiotic delivery system. Due to the use of nonhazardous, biodegradable components and benign synthesis, hybrid nanoflowers are very promising drug delivery systems that could be applied in the treatment of skeletal system infections.

  • Breast MRI segmentation by deep learning: key gaps and challenges
    • Khadijeh Askaripour
    • Arkadiusz Żak
    2023 Pełny tekst IEEE Access

    Breast MRI segmentation plays a vital role in early diagnosis and treatment planning of breast anomalies. Convolutional neural networks with deep learning have indicated promise in automating this process, but significant gaps and challenges remain to address. This PubMed-based review provides a comprehensive literature overview of the latest deep learning models used for breast segmentation. The article categorizes the literature on deep learning based on input modalities, use of labeled/unlabeled data during training, and different architectures. Additionally, it describes more complex frameworks structured using hierarchical, ensemble, or fused learning. Then, MRI processing approaches, key aspects of convolutional neural networks, and key gaps and challenges are focused. The need for large breast MRI datasets with accurate annotations and the generalization of the proposed structures to diverse and comprehensive datasets are among the gaps.

  • Broad Stopband, Low-Loss, and Ultra-Compact Dual-Mode Bandpass Filter Based on HMSIRC
    • Rusan Barik
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    2023 Pełny tekst Electronics

    In this investigation, an ultra-compact dual-mode bandpass filter (BPF) with a wide stopband re-sponse is realized by using a half-mode substrate-integrated rectangular cavity (HMSIRC). The HMSIRC resonator is designed with a cavity that is rectangular in shape and has metallic vias along three of the sides. The fourth side is open-ended and contains microstrip feed lines. For the purpose of constructing a magnetic wall, a rectangular slot is cut into each of the HMSIRC’s three edges. In order to produce an electrical wall that may generate a variety of resonances, the side with the open edges is provided with a single metallic via in the center. After that, a second-order BPF is generated by loading a transverse slot in the middle of the BPF, which enables independent frequency regulation of the mode frequencies. The eigen-mode analysis; field distributions; cou-pling matrix; and full-wave simulation of the proposed HMSIRC filter topology are used to de-velop the working principle of the filter. A second-order BPF is realized, constructed, and experi-mentally validated in order to provide evidence that the theory is correct. The BPF prototype achieves satisfactory performance thanks to its compact footprint of 0.028 λg2; its broad passband of 15.9%; its low insertion loss of 0.41 dB; and its wide stopband of 4.36 f0 with a rejection level greater than 20 dB. Both the measured and EM-simulated responses of the BPF are very consistent with one another.

  • Broadband/Dual-band Metal-Mountable UHF RFID Tag Antennas: A Systematic Review. Taxonomy Analysis, Standards of Seamless RFID System Operation, Supporting IoT implementations, Recommendations and Future Directions
    • Fuad Erman
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Leifur Leifsson
    2023 IEEE Internet of Things Journal

    The employment of broadband/dual-band ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antennas contributes to the growth of RFID technology, with many potential implications, such as the increase of international trade, and reducing costs thereof. This study presents all reported articles on RFID tags for metal objects that can work seamlessly across different countries. Moreover, it addresses all available approaches to design of wideband/dual-band metal-mountable tag antennas and showcases the techniques used to expand the tag bandwidth. The relevant works were gathered by applying a designated query ‘("tag antenna*" OR "RFID tag*") AND (metal*) AND ("broadband" OR "wideband" OR "dual band" OR "tri band")’ in three scientific research engines. (Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus). The final set is determined on the basis of the exclusion and inclusion criteria, revealing 38 articles. The selected papers were categorized into five groups based on the tag structure, and all techniques utilized to widen the bandwidth of each specific structure. This taxonomy attempts to provide a deeper insight into the considered topic through a comprehensive presentation. The bandwidth measurement criterion, which is 3-dB return loss (RL) bandwidth is selected due to showing an adequate reading distance on the edge of the bandwidth. In addition, the criterion clarifies the operation frequencies that facilitate the worldwide operation of the RFID technology. This paper fosters adaptation of suitable regulations to support the use of RFID systems, and researchers to design proper metal-mountable tags, which must be assessed based on operating frequencies, performance, size, cost, and compatibility with the targeted applications.

  • Brownian Motion in Optical Tweezers, a Comparison between MD Simulations and Experimental Data in the Ballistic Regime
    • Krzysztof Zembrzycki
    • Sylwia Pawłowska
    • Filippo Pierini
    • Tomasz Aleksander Kowalewski
    2023 Pełny tekst Polymers

    The four most popular water models in molecular dynamics were studied in large-scale simulations of Brownian motion of colloidal particles in optical tweezers and then compared with experimental measurements in the same time scale. We present the most direct comparison of colloidal polystyrene particle diffusion in molecular dynamics simulations and experimental data on the same time scales in the ballistic regime. The four most popular water models, all of which take into account electrostatic interactions, are tested and compared based on yielded results and resources required. Three different conditions were simulated: a freely moving particle and one in a potential force field with two different strengths based on 1 pN/nm and 10 pN/nm. In all cases, the diameter of the colloidal particle was 50 nm. The acquired data were compared with experimental measurements performed using optical tweezers with position capture rates as high as 125 MHz. The experiments were performed in pure water on polystyrene particles with a 1 μm diameter in special microchannel cells.

  • Buckling and shape control of prestressable trusses using optimum number of actuators
    • Ahmed Manguri
    • Najmadeen Saeed
    • Marcin Szczepański
    • Robert Jankowski
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    This paper describes a method to control the nodal displacement of prestressable truss structures within the desired domains. At the same time, the stress in all members is unleashed to take any value between the allowable tensile stress and critical buckling stress. The shape and stresses are controlled by actuating the most active members. The technique considers the members’ initial crookedness, residual stresses, and slenderness ratio (S). Furthermore, the method is premeditated so that the members with an S between 200 and 300 can carry only tension before and after adjustment (i.e., the maximum compressive stress for the members with an S between 200 and 300 is zero). In addition, the derived equations are coupled with an optimization function that relies on five optimization algorithms (interior-point, trust-region-reflective, Sequential quadratic programming (SQP), SQP-legacy, and active-set). The algorithms identify and then exclude inactive actuators in the subsequent iterations. The technique is applied to several examples, and its results are compared with a quoted method in the literature.

  • Buckling resistance of a metal column in a corrugated sheet silo - experiments and non-linear stability calculations
    • Karol Rejowski
    • Aleksander Iwicki
    • Andrzej Tejchman-Konarzewski
    • Michał Wójcik
    2023 Pełny tekst THIN-WALLED STRUCTURES

    The results of experimental and numerical tests of a single corrugated sheet silo column’s buckling resistance are presented in this study. The experiments were performed in a real silo with and without bulk solid (wheat). A very positive impact of the bulk solid on the column buckling resistance occurred. The experimental results were first compared to the buckling resistance calculated by Eurocode 3 formulae. The comparison revealed that code formulae were overly conservative for the empty and pre-filled silo. The experiments were next simulated using the finite element method (FEM) with initial geometric imperfections, based on geodetic measurements or linear bifurcation analyses. The bulk solid’s behaviour was described by two different linear elastic approaches. For real geometric imperfections, the FE computations and experimental findings were in good agreement (particularly for an empty silo). For the pre-filled silo with the code elasticity of the bulk solid and the geodetic amplitude of geometric imperfection of the empty silo, the numerical buckling resistance was too low as compared to the experimental outcomes. In addition, the model tests were performed for a single column with a corrugated sheet at the laboratory scale

  • Budownictwo elektroenergetycznej infrastruktury przesyłowej i dystrybucyjnej
    • Waldemar Kamrat
    2023

    Książka zawiera zagadnienia poświęcone liniom elektroenergetycznym wysokich napięć, tematykę zwiazaną z funkcjonowaniem stacji elektroenergetycznych, problematykę projektowania i budowy , elementy rachunku ekonomicznego przedsięwzięć inwestycyjnych

  • Building Confidence and Trust in Ireland's National Maternity Services Workforce –What matters most and how?
    • Adegboyega Ojo
    • Nina Rizun
    • Grace S. Grace
    • Wojciech Przychodzen
    • Mona Isazad Mashinchi
    • Conor Foley
    • Daniela Rohde
    2023 HEALTH POLICY

    National surveys on care experiences are increasingly adopted as regulatory mechanisms for improving care quality and increasing public trust in healthcare services. Based on data collected as part of Ireland's 2020 National Maternity Experience Survey, this study investigates care-related factors that contribute most to confidence and trust in the professional workforce (or carers) within Irish maternity services. The survey covered the full spectrum of maternity care and received 3,206 responses which were analysed using structural equation modelling. Results show that trust in carers may be enhanced through greater attention to the quality of interpersonal aspects of maternity care in a few core areas. We found that factors related to dignity and respect (β=0.270), involvement in decision-making (β=0.186), pain management (β=0.172), and communication (β=0.151) are core determinants of confidence and trust in the professional workforce of maternity services. Perceived quality of care in these four aspects increased on average, with the women's age. Women under 29 rated their experiences in these areas as significantly lower than the average. Women with a disability also rated their experiences significantly lower than average in three core areas. Our results suggest that trustworthy, equitable, and high-quality maternity care requires ongoing development of interpersonal skills within the maternity services professional workforce particularly in caring for younger women (under 29 years) and those with a disability.

  • Buried Object Characterization by Data-Driven Surrogates and Regression-Enabled Hyperbolic Signature Extraction
    • Reyhan Yurt
    • Hamid Torpi
    • Ahmet Kizilay
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Peyman Mahouti
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    This work addresses artificial-intelligence-based buried object characterization using FDTD-based electromagnetic simulation toolbox of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to generate B-scan data. In data collection, FDTD-based simulation tool, gprMax is used. The task is to estimate geophysical parameters of a cylindrical shape object of various radii, buried at different positions in the dry soil medium simultaneously and independently of each other. The proposed methodology capitalizes on a fast and accurate data-driven surrogate model developed for object characterization in terms of its vertical and lateral position, and the size. The surrogate is constructed in a computationally efficient manner as compared to methodologies using 2D B-scan image. This is achieved by operating at the level of hyperbolic signatures extracted from the B-scan data through linear regression, which effectively reduces the dimensionality and the size of data. The proposed methodology relies on reducing of 2D B-scan image to 1D data including variation of reflected electric fields’ amplitudes with respect to the scanning aperture. The input of the surrogate model is the extracted hyperbolic signature obtained through linear regression executed on the background subtracted B-scan profiles. The hyperbolic signatures encode information about the geophysical parameters of the buried object, including depth, lateral position, and radius, all of which can be extracted using proposed methodology. Parametric estimation of the object radius and the estimation of the location parameters simultaneously is a challenging problem. Applying the application of processing steps on B-scan profiles incurs high computational costs, which is a limitation of the current methodologies. The metamodel itself is rendered using a novel deep-learning-based modified multilayer perceptron (M2LP) framework. The presented object characterization technique is favourably benchmarked against the state-of-the-art regression techniques, including Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Support Vector Regression Machine (SVRM), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The verification results demonstrate the average mean absolute error of 10 mm, and the average relative error of 8 percent, both corroborating the relevance of the proposed M2LP framework. In addition, the presented methodology provides a well-structured relation between the geophysical parameters of object and the extracted hyperbolic signatures.

  • Buried Object Characterization Using Ground Penetrating Radar Assisted by Data-Driven Surrogate-Models
    • Reyhan Yurt
    • Hamid Torpi
    • Peyman Mahouti
    • Ahmet Kizilay
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2023 Pełny tekst IEEE Access

    This work addresses artificial-intelligence-based buried object characterization using 3-D full-wave electromagnetic simulations of a ground penetrating radar (GPR). The task is to characterize cylindrical shape, perfectly electric conductor (PEC) object buried in various dispersive soil media, and in different positions. The main contributions of this work are (i) development of a fast and accurate data driven surrogate modeling approach for buried objects characterization, (ii) construction of the surrogate model in a computationally efficient manner using small training datasets, (iii) development of a novel deep learning method, time-frequency regression model (TFRM), that employes raw signal (with no pre-processing) to achieve competitive estimation performance. The presented approach is favourably benchmarked against the state-of-the-art regression techniques, including multilayer perceptron (MLP), Gaussian process (GP) regression, support vector regression machine (SVRM), and convolutional neural network (CNN).

  • Butyrylcholinesterase signal sequence self-aggregates and enhances amyloid fibril formation in vitro
    • Jacek Jasiecki
    • Monika Targońska
    • Anna Janaszak-Jasiecka
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Krzysztof Waleron
    • Bartosz Wasąg
    2023 CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS

    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis has been attributed to extracellular aggregates of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the human brain. It has been reported that butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) also accumulates in the brain Aβ plaques in AD. We have previously found that the BChE substitution in 5′UTR caused an in-frame N-terminal extension of 41 amino acids of the BChE signal peptide. The resultant variant with a 69 amino acid signal peptide, designated N-BChE, could play a role in AD development. Here, we report that the signal sequence of the BChE, if produced in an extended 69 aa version, can self-aggregate and could form seeds that enhance amyloid fibril formation in vitro in a dose-dependent manner and create larger co-aggregates. Similar phenomena could have been observed in the human brain if such an extended form of the signal sequence had been, in some circumstances, translated.

  • Cadmium accumulation by Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus from stormwater in floating treatment wetlands microcosms: Insights into plant tolerance and utility for phytoremediation
    • Muhammad Mohsin
    • Nicole Nawrot
    • Ewa Wojciechowska
    • Suvi Kuittinen
    • Katarzyna Szczepańska
    • Grażyna Dembska
    • Ari Pappinen
    2023 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

    Environmentally sustainable remediation is needed to protect freshwater resources which are deteriorating due to severe industrial, mining, and agricultural activities. Treatment by floating wetlands could be a sustainable solution to remediate water bodies. The study aimed to examine the effects of Cd on Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus growth (height, biomass, root length and chlorophyll contents), anatomy, Cd accumulation in their biomass and their ability to remove Cd, N and P. Seedlings of both plants were grown in a greenhouse for 50 days in artificially prepared stormwater amended with Cd, N, and P. The treatments were: control (Cd _0), Cd_1, Cd_2, and Cd_4 mg L−1. N and P contents were 4 mg L−1 and 1.8 mg L−1, respectively. In the case of P. australis, the maximum plant height, root length, and total dry biomass production was increased in medium dose (Cd_2) treatment while the chlorophyll index (CCI) increased in high dose (Cd_4) treatment as compared to all treatments. For I. pseudacorus, the maximum plant height and total dry biomass production, root length and CCI values were improved in low dose (Cd_1) and high dose (Cd_4) treatments, respectively among all treatments. Results showed that P. australis accumulated 10.94–1821.59 μg · (0.05 m2)−1 in roots and 2.45–334.65 μg · (0.05 m2)−1 in shoots under Cd_0, Cd_1 and Cd_4 treatments. I. pseudacorus accumulated the highest Cd in roots up to 5.84–4900 μg · (0.05 m2)−1 and 3.40–609 μg · (0.05 m2)−1 in shoots under Cd_0, Cd_1 and Cd_4 treatments. The translocation factor was observed as <1 and the bioconcentration factor >1 for both species, which indicates their phytostabilization potential. Results demonstrate that P. australis and I. pseudacorus are suitable for use in floating wetlands to remediate contaminated sites.

  • Can sodium 1-alkylsulfonates participate in the sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle formation?
    • Ola Grabowska
    • Krzysztof Żamojć
    • Michał Olewniczak
    • Lech Chmurzynski
    • Dariusz Wyrzykowski
    2023 JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS

    The aggregation behavior of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was studied in an aqueous solution in the presence of increasing concentrations of selected sodium 1-alkylsulfonates, namely sodium 1-octanesulfonate, sodium 1-decanesulfonate, and sodium 1-dodecanesufonate. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS was determined by conductivity and fluorescence intensity measurements. The steady-state fluorescence quenching experiments with pyrene as a fluorescent probe were performed to obtain micellar aggregation numbers (Nagg) of the surfactant. The thermodynamic parameters of micellization ( for all studied systems; and for sodium 1-dodecanesufonate) have been determined and compared. The influence of alkyl chain length and concentration of the selected sodium 1-alkylsulfonates on the values of CMC, Nagg, , , and of SDS has been discussed. As it was found, all selected for the experiments electrolytes decrease significantly the CMC of the surfactant, while an opposite effect is observed for Nagg values. The obtained experimental results have been supported by theoretical calculations. Interestingly, it has been proven that solely the molecules of sodium 1-dodecanesufonate (of the same carbon chain length) may act as the SDS mimetics – they are not recognized by SDS as the ones with a different structure and consequently are allowed to participate in the formation of the surfactant’s micelles.

  • Cancer immune escape: the role of antigen presentation machinery
    • Anoop Kallingal
    • Mateusz Olszewski
    • Natalia Maciejewska
    • Wioletta Brankiewicz
    • Maciej Bagiński
    2023 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

    The mechanisms of antigen processing and presentation play a crucial role in the recognition and targeting of cancer cells by the immune system. Cancer cells can evade the immune system by downregulating or losing the expression of the proteins recognized by the immune cells as antigens, creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and altering their ability to process and present antigens. This review focuses on the mechanisms of cancer immune evasion with a specific emphasis on the role of antigen presentation machinery. The study of the immunopeptidome, or peptidomics, has provided insights into the mechanisms of cancer immune evasion and has potential applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, manipulating the epigenetic landscape of cancer cells plays a critical role in suppressing the immune response against cancer. Targeting these mechanisms through the use of HDACis, DNMTis, and combination therapies has the potential to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. However, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms of action and optimal use of these therapies in the clinical setting.

  • Capacity of Surface Production of Band Sawing in Manufacture of Oak Floor Upper Layers
    • Kazimierz Orłowski
    • Daniel Chuchała
    • Dawid Stenka
    • Tomasz Przybyliński
    2023 Pełny tekst BIORESOURCES

    Thin lamellae, corresponding to the layer components of structural glued members, i.e., 2-ply or 3-ply glued flooring, can be manufactured in re-sawing operations of kiln-dried wood blocks or in wet technologies, which currently seem to be more common because of the shorter drying time. The re-sawing process in wet technology is conducted on dedicated thin-cutting band sawing machines with stellite-tipped band saws. The goal of this research was to demonstrate the capacity of surface production (m2/ tool life) of visible layers of oak engineered flooring composites in a function of both a new band saw and a re-sharpened band saw blade. Additionally, the state of teeth of each band saw blade was examined at the end of the tool life. A series of cutting tests were performed in sawmill production conditions. The conducted tests revealed that a three times higher capacity of surface production was obtained for the new tool compared to re-sharpened tool. Additional microscopic observations of some re-sharpened teeth showed deformed plastic characteristics.

  • Carbon nitride exfoliation for photocatalysis and photocatalytic ozonation over emerging contaminants abatement
    • Eryk Fernandes
    • Paweł Mazierski
    • Magdalena Miodyńska
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    • Mirosława Pawlyta
    • Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
    • Rui F. Martins
    • João Gomes
    2023 Pełny tekst Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

    The production of graphitic carbon nitride was studied with the addition of a following exfoliation step using ultrasounds, at different times. The treatment produced catalysts with much higher surface areas, from 2.18 m2 g 1 with no treatment to 28.34 m2 g 1 after 36 h of exfoliation. During exfoliation, melem was also produced, and may further enhance the photoluminescence and photocatalytic properties. The photocatalytic reaction also indicated the improved performance of exfoliated g-C3N4 towards the degradation of a mixture of parabens, enhancing their removal from 20% to up to 65% in 2 h under UVA radiation. The combination of ozone and g- C3N4 photocatalysis was able to completely remove the parabens in under 8 min and with a 20% lower consumption of ozone compared to photolytic ozonation. The main reactive species were identified, and the byproducts formed during parabens degradation were detected. The efficiency of the combined system was also attested by using a mixture of parabens and other common drugs, maintaining its better performance.

  • CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AMONG POLISH EMPLOYEES OF UNIFORMED SERVICES
    • Bartosz G. Trzeciak
    • Waldemar Kowalczyk
    • Szymon Grymek
    • Piotr Gutknecht
    • Janusz Siebert
    2023 Pełny tekst International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

    Objectives: Employees of uniformed services (EoUS) were screened for cardiovascular risk factors. Material and Methods: A total of 1138 EoUS (age M±SD 49.9±6.0 years) and 263 controls (age M±SD 54.4±9.7 years) under the care of the cardiology clinic in Gdańsk, Poland,were included in the study. Medical history and blood samples were collected, and a physical examination was performed. Ten-year cardiovascular risk of death was calculated using the systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) risk algorithm for high-risk countries. Results: Significantly higher values of mean systolic and mean diastolic blood pressure, mean total cholesterol level and mean BMI were recorded among the EoUS compared to controls (M±SD 141.7±11.6 mm Hg vs. 135.5±11.0 mm Hg, p < 0.001; 90.1±5.9 mm Hg vs. 84.5±6.8 mm Hg, p < 0.001; 6.01±0.76 mmol vs. 5.44±0.87 mmol, p < 0.001; 29.3±4.7 vs. 29.0±4.1, p < 0.001, respectively). Smoking cigarettes was most frequently reported by the youngest group (20–39 years old) – 47.7% and it was significantly higher in the entire EoUS group compared to control group (35.5% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.001). The occurrence of observed risk factors (blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg, total cholesterol concentration >5 mmol, smoking,) was significantly higher among EoUS compared to controls (92.1% vs. 57.8%, p < 0.001; 89.0% vs. 66.9%, p < 0.001; 35.5% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.001, respectively). In the male group, the mean calculated ten-year risk of fatal cardiovascular events, the percentage of high calculated risk, and very high risk were higher in the EoUS group compared to controls (M±SD 4.44±3.49 vs. 4.23±3.86, p = 0.001; 23.7% vs. 20.2%, p = 0.007; 7.4% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: The prevalence of all identified risk factors was found to be higher among employees of uniformed services when compared to the control group. The presence of these risk factors within the population of uniformed service employees results in a greater risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(5)

  • Case Study of Old Steel Riveted Railway Truss Bridge: From Material Characterization to Structural Analysis
    • Andrzej Ambroziak
    • Maciej Malinowski
    2023 Pełny tekst Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering

    The structural analysis of an old steel riveted railway truss bridge located over the Maruska River on the Działdowo – Olsztyn, Poland railway line is performed in this paper to check its behaviour under today’s railway loads. The mechanical properties of construction steel extracted from the old steel bridge are investigated by tensile tests, impact tests through the Charpy pendulum impact V-notch, and an optical emission spectrometer. Structural analysis exhibits that the steel bridge requires proper structural bridge improvements to meet today’s load requirements in terms of bearing capacity and serviceability state. The paper begins with a wide survey of literature carried out on the investigation of steel riveted railway bridge subject matter. This paper can provide scientists, engineers, and designers with an experimental and structural basis in the field of old steel riveted railway truss bridge construction.